Why Barry Odom Said 'Talk is Cheap' After Purdue's Loss to Illinois
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WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Purdue has only played five games, but Barry Odom is already tired of the chatter. After referring to Saturday's performance against No. 22 Illinois as "awful," he said it's time for his team to begin delivering results.
The Boilermakers dropped their third straight game of the season on Saturday, falling 43-27 to Illinois at Ross-Ade Stadium. It was arguably the team's worst performance of the season, giving up seven plays of 20-plus yards, fumbling twice in pivotal situations, and getting flagged eight times for 61 yards.
A frustrated Odom pointed to the plethora of problems throughout the game during his postgame interview. Even though the Boilers remained competitive until the end, he said that's not good enough. That's something he told his players following the loss.
"In a competitive arena or environment, you're supposed to play hard. That's a given," Odom said. "Messaging, postgame, I'm tired of talking about it. Talk is cheap. What are your actions? That's pretty clear-cut. What's it going to be?"
Although the final score looked lopsided in losses to USC and Illinois, Purdue actually had opportunities to win both games. Little mistakes and the inability to eliminate explosive plays have proven costly.
Odom was asked if he thought his team was just a play or two away from the results being different in a few of Purdue's last three games.
"I do," Odom said, " but there comes a point where we can't talk about it. We have to do it."
Odom tired of watching same thing
Odom's messaging has remained consistent since arriving in West Lafayette. He understands college football is a results-based industry. Simply "playing hard" won't go far if wins don't start piling up.
Saturday, Odom said he was as "frustrated as (he's) ever been in coaching," watching Illinois connect on big play after big play. But that's a theme that has hindered Purdue's secondary throughout the year.
"We were nowhere close to playing winning football," Odom said. "I know I'm tired of saying those things, I know everyone is tired of hearing them. At the end of the day, we have to find a way to go play winning ball."
Purdue's last three games have come against quality competition, falling to USC (4-1), Notre Dame (3-2), and Illinois (5-1). These next three games against Minnesota, Northwestern, and Rutgers might be the most important on the schedule.
Odom understands the significance of the next three-game stretch, especially with a brutal November slate, which includes games against No. 15 Michigan, No. 1 Ohio State, and No. 7 Indiana.
"We have to make a ton of progress. In October, we talked about how important it was to play these next four games," Odom said. "Now, we don't get that one back. What are we going to do moving forward? Are we going to keep talking about it, or are we going to go do it?"
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Dustin Schutte is the publisher of Purdue Boilermakers on SI and has spent more than a decade working in sports journalism. His career began in 2013, when he covered Big Ten football. He remained in that role for eight years before working at On SI to cover the Boilermakers. Dustin graduated from Manchester University in Indiana in 2010, where he played for the men's tennis team.
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